


Paradise

by jackiestolz



Category: Smosh
Genre: Friendship, M/M, One-Shot, or romance whichever you prefer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-12
Updated: 2015-08-12
Packaged: 2018-04-14 09:16:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4559115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackiestolz/pseuds/jackiestolz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian and Anthony have always enjoyed life in California; the sun, the summers, the storms. But one night, they recieve a little more than they bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paradise

**Author's Note:**

> so yeah, recovery is six days late, and probably won't be here for awhile. to make up for it, i spruced up an old one-shot. enjoy kiddos

_They say we lived in paradise. It's true. Everything was beautiful there: the sun, the clouds, even the rain._

I will never forget that day. Such an average day. Waking up late, opening the mail, going out to lunch. Whatever, we always did these things. It was always like this.

They warned us about the storm on the news. The mayor was ordering emergency response vehicles to be placed around the town, and asked the elderly and those with serious medical conditions to be wary.

The day, that far, had been hot, the skies generally clear. It seemed like the perfect Summer Sunday. I remember the sun, low in the sky, the mix of pink and orange around it. I was standing outside, picking the dead flowers from one of the plants absentmindedly. Behind me, I heard a soft footfall coming from the open back door.

"Storm's coming." I remember saying casually. I could feel it in the stuffy air, how tense and humid it was. The wind was starting to pick up. "Hopefully, just as bad as you say."

Anthony had warned me about it before. "Hopefully."

The storms were always a spectacle there. In the winter, there were few, just the occasional freezing rain, and three or four times in the season, hail would pour down on our heads. But in the Summer, the rainstorms were nearly incessant, and they were beautiful. They were strong and harsh, the perfect show of the harm nature can cause, a true wonder of the Earth.

We went inside, did what we usually did. I was folding some laundry in my room, and Anthony was editing a video in his. We finished around the same time, and ended up meeting each other in the hallway. Bored, we started playing some video games. Everything was fine, it was just us having a casual night. We didn't know what was coming, we weren't prepared for the damage the storm would bring.

The sun had just set, and outside, we could hear the chirping of the cicadas. It was still light outside, and we were expecting it to stay that way for at least another twenty minutes. Then, unexpectedly, the darkness fell.

I noticed it out of the corner of my eye, while only half paying attention to Mario Kart, and I turned to stare out the glass door at the darkness.

"It's the clouds." Anthony realized next to me, and paused the game. I stood up to check the sky, and verified it was true. "This is gonna be one Hell of a storm."

"I'm gonna charge my phone, just in case." I said, and he asked me to go into his room and plug his in as well.

I wasn't nervous. I was anticipating the show, all bright lights and loud sounds. We all loved it there, getting to see that kind of beauty. I should've realized that we'd never had a storm like that before. That the looming clouds have never made such deep shadows before.

The winds started to grow, the trees swaying more and more with each passing minute. At that point, we still weren't nervous, we were still excited for it. We were sitting on the couch, still playing video games, when the first rumble of thunder came, far away. The rain outside began to fall slowly, in handfuls, as we continued our patient play.

Several minutes passed by before the first bolt of lightening, a burst of light blue that lasted for only a moment. The small amount of rain falling increased slightly, and I realized that this would be the kind of storm that came slowly, took its time.

I informed Anthony of this, and he gave a small chuckle. "I can wait. This one's the one to wait for."

The wind grew stronger in the next few minutes, hitting the side of our house with a bold ferocity. It knocked against wood and brick, flew through trees so fast they were swaying madly, as though they were about to topple. It only caused our anticipation to grow.

The rain came suddenly then, all of it falling at the same time. I remember we both got large, almost goofy smiles on our faces as we looked out the back door and watched the fat drops of rain cover every surface. Within seconds, the world outside was soaking from the heavy rain, and we waited patiently for the thunder and lightening to arrive as we stared at the water bouncing off the ground.

There was a flash outside, but not very bright, and Anthony looked at me, brow slightly raised. Our game had long been forgotten, and was paused on the television in front of us. We looked at each other, searching the other's face in a confusion that I didn't know the cause of. The answer came a long while later, when we heard a low rumble of thunder following the lightening.

"The storm's far away." Anthony noted, still looking at me, but sort of looking through me. Something happens to people, when the storms come. Something changes them. Not just in paradise, but everywhere: it's a reaction, a reaction to nature and its fury. Some become arrogant, some weep with fear. But I think it was understanding, that night, on Anthony's face. I think he understood what was coming. I was still ignorant. I still thought it was just another storm.

I simply nodded, and turned back to the windows, watching the rain hit the ground so hard it bounced nearly a foot into the air. After a moment, we resumed our game, our ears still strained for the next boom of thunder.

I quickly found myself disappointed. The rain was fading away, as was the wind. Within ten minutes, the rain had stopped completely, and the wind was so light that the leaves on the trees outside barely rustled. We finished our race, and I looked out the door at the dark sky, still covered by clouds.

"Some storm." I muttered in discouragement. Immediately after I said this, there came a boom of thunder, not very loud but not too soft, and Anthony gave me a serious glance.

"Maybe we'll get our storm after all." That was the first time I went on edge. The first time I felt like something was wrong. But the thunder got more and more silent as the minutes went by, and as we switched over to watch a movie, the feeling passed and disappointment rose in me once again.

The movie was one I'd seen a hundred times, and as it played quietly, I listened to the silence emanating from outside, pushing its way in. It was still out there, unusually so. I used to sit out late at night, and it seemed every bug in the world was flapping its wings, buzzing, and chirping. There was nothing but life and movement. But at that moment, all I could hear was the oddly faint sound of crickets. Part of nature, all connected, the bugs were hiding, because they knew my disappointment was foolish.

A few minutes later, a sharp flash of lightening startled us both, followed by a boom of thunder that seemed to never end. It began to drizzle outside, and my hope was restored. Sirens sounded in the distance, as another boom of thunder reached our ears, this time louder. It started to drizzle.

"Do you think this is gonna be the big one?" I asked Anthony, who was staring blankly at the screen.

"I hope so." Was his simple reply.

"I do too, but it doesn't look promising out there." As soon as I said that, the rain came hard and fast once more, and Anthony smirked.

The wind picked back up, and the thunder came more frequently. The picture on the television grew fuzzy after one particularly loud boom of thunder that shook the ground beneath our feet. After the next flash of lightening, our power went out.

Despite my doubts, I was then certain. This was the big one. The storm we were all waiting for. We sat completely still on our couch, and the only noise to be heard was the sound of the rain smashing to the ground, at a slight angle due to the wind.

For a long time, almost an hour, we said nothing. We only watched the fierce storm do its work. As we sat, we watched the already ferocious wind grow to double the strength, whistling as it moved around buildings and roaring as it pushed through trees that looked ready to give. We saw each flash of light blue illuminate the Earth, just for a moment, followed by a blast of thunder that got louder and lasted longer each time.

"It's getting dark." Anthony commented suddenly, and I looked over my shoulder only to find the figure of him. I hadn't noticed how gloomy it had become.

"I'll get our phones." I said, and went carefully into the other room, trying not to trip in the dark. I took them from their chargers, no longer charging since the power was gone, and returned to him in the den. Handing his phone to him, I unlocked my own, noting the time. 10:10. I set up the flashlight and set it down on the table, and Anthony did the same, so together they lit up the room. 

"Guess we'll just hang out until the power comes back." Anthony suggested, but we waited for its return in vain. The storm outside continued at its extreme brutality, its force never decreasing. If anything, the winds grew stronger, which surprised me, as these storms usually calmed down slightly. I should have known then that this wasn't just the grand storm we saw once a year. This was Hell on Earth.

There was a silence between us, but we ignored it, because the noise outside was greater, and it was the cause. We were usually talkative, never ceasing in our mindless chatter, but not when the rain battered our windows, not when the wind pounded on our walls.

Anthony's phone failed us first. His flashlight suddenly switched off, and upon grabbing his phone, he told me it didn't have enough power to run the app.

"Maybe we should just go to bed. It's midnight." He suggested, but I could tell he wasn't tired at all.

"In this?" I questioned pointedly, and for a moment we looked out the window, listening to the clatter of the rain and the multiple booms of thunder. "We might as well just stay up."

"Okay." He agreed. "But turn off that light for a little while. Save the battery for when we really need it."

I turned the light off, and the world grew fearfully dark around us. Only the light from a distant light-post filtered in now, and all I could see of Anthony was the outline of his face. We sat in complete silence, save the roar of the angry nature outside.

And more time passed, and the storm continued, not even slowing down, not once. It was over an hour later when we heard noises not of nature, but of an angry God. In the distance, there came a sound like a great tearing, something being ripped from its rightful place. And then we heard a smash, followed by another one, even larger, and then only the sounds of the storm. Our only source of light, the light-post, was extinguished.

Never had I seen such darkness. It was if every light in the world went out. It was something I only saw once more in my life, on the same night. And it terrified me. More than anything else I've ever seen.

I turned on my phone's light as Anthony sat up in alarm, and I shined it at our windows. Where there was once a stone path at our door, now rested a puddle of dirty water, a puddle the rain was still adding to. I stood and went to the door, but didn't go out, knowing it would be suicide.

"What happened?" Anthony said quietly behind me, and I could hear the fear in his voice. Fear, no. An understatement. Dread. Pure dread. It was as if he knew the events that would unfold that night already.

After a moment of looking around, I heard the ripping noise again, and paled when I found its source. "It's our neighbor's roof. The storm is ripping up his roof."

"Ian." Anthony said, voice trembling. "That's not possible."

"Not if this were just the big one." I said, and finally realized: "Anthony, this is more than just a storm."

"I know." He said softly. I wanted to hug him, how desolate he sounded at that moment.

"Let's just stay in here." I said calmly, taking control like I used to do so well. "Let's just stay on this couch until it blows over."

He nodded, and I sat closely next to him, with my phone as our only light. We closed our eyes, and merely listened. To the hard hitting rain, to the roaring winds, to the rumbling thunder, to the repetitive sirens in the distance. Then I listened to his breathing, as his head rested on my shoulder, as he stayed in a place that wasn't quite sleep. I rested my cheek on his straight dark hair and did the same, and we stayed that way.

It was so much longer later, and the storm wasn't stopping, but the light on my phone was. I picked it up, and it, like Anthony's, didn't have enough power to run the app. I checked the time on the dim screen. 4:00 am.

I had disturbed Anthony when I had to reach for my phone, and he was fully awake again, looking into my eyes.

"Ian." He whispered. "What if we die here?"

"We're not going to die." I assured him in a soft voice. I put my phone down on the table, and wrapped him into a hug. I gripped him tightly, savoring his warmth, while he hugged back gently, his face pressed against my chest. 

Suddenly, a loud crash in the other room startled us both. It sounded like breaking glass, and I instantly worried about the window being broken.

"We should go see if there's damage, we can't afford big fixes right now." I said, and stood, looking carefully at the dark ground to ensure I wouldn't trip. I took a few steps, and I heard him stand behind me. I turned and looked at him as he picked up my dying phone.

"You're not going without me." He said, and the determination in his voice stopped me from arguing.

We walked slowly through the hall, myself slightly faster than him. I think I was less afraid, or maybe more foolish. I opened the door to the room the sound came from to see a small hole in our window, the product of a flying branch. Rain was pouring in.

"Anthony." I called back to him in the hallway, taking a few steps into the room. "There's a hole in the window. It's not too big, like the size of-"

I saw a large chunk of wood fly into the window, and had no time to react before it crashed. Splinters of wood and glass flew against me, and the door closed behind me from the force of the blast combined with the wind assaulting the destroyed window.

There was almost no light, but when lightening flashed, I saw the jagged remains of the window, and the cuts down my body. I was already drawing blood, but it didn't seem so bad. The wind continued to hit me, and the rain came in through the broken window, quickly soaking me.

"Ian?" I heard Anthony call my name from the other side of the closed door. I ran up to it.

"Anthony, I'm okay!" I called back to him, and tried to open the door, but it didn't move.

"Open the door!" He yelled, and I could hear his urgency. I tried the door repeatedly, but it refused to open.

"I can't!" I yelled back, and I realized how dark it truly was. When there was no lightening, I couldn't see anything, not even the glass of the window that reflected even the smallest bit of light. It was the second time I experienced true darkness. Darker than any night or any sleep, and far more foreboding.

"I can't get it open on this end, either!" Anthony called back to me, but I could barely hear him over the storm.

"Call the police, we need help." I said, feeling the panic wash over me like the freezing rain.

"Your phone died!" He said, and I knew his was dead as well.

"Fuck!" I yelled out in frustration, and I leaned my head against the wood for a moment, trying to think. I was shivering from the cold.

"Could you climb out the window and come to the front door?" Anthony suggested after a moment, and after a loud bout of thunder, I responded.

"There's too much broken glass. Besides, even if I could, walking out there would be suicide." I said. I could still hear distant sirens and car alarms from whoever parked outside their homes. He said something, but I couldn't hear it, the storm brewing in my brain. "What?"

"What's causing the door to jam?" He asked, and I waited for the next beam of lightening to help me find the answer. When it came, I looked at the door, only to see it coated in dirt, water, wood, and glass.

"The wood from the branch, it's jamming the thing shut!" I yelled back. "Anthony, I need you to-"

Another flash of lightening, this time following with the loudest thing I've ever heard. It sounded like a gunshot mixed with thunder, and it caused an icy sweat to run down my body. 

"Ian! Ian!" I heard Anthony yell, and I knew he was even more scared than I was.

"Anthony!" I yelled back, but my voice was drowned out by a sound like thunder, only right next to us. The ground shook, the house trembled, and as I heard a huge crash above our heads, I realized what was happening.

The tree crashed down on top of us, a giant oak that was planted in our backyard. I could hear the swish of its soaking leaves, the crunch as it broke through tar, drywall, and wood. It was coming down on top of our heads, this huge, heavy weapon.

I didn't move away from the door. I couldn't. I knew Anthony was on the other side, and I knew the tree would hurt at least one of us. I had to stay there, for him.

The tree crashed through, and when it halted, I expected the world to do so too. But the storm continued.

"Anthony?" I yelled through the door. It was barely standing, and most of the wall around it, plus a large amount of the ceiling, had crumbled. "Anthony!" I screamed his name when there was no answer.

I pulled on the door, and this time, it opened. I ran through, but tripped over the leaves of the fallen tree that was lying on our quickly soaking floor. Crawling over the leaves, breathing heavily, all I could do was pray I could find Anthony.

My prayers were answered, but harshly. I saw his form in front of me after a flash of lightening, and I crawled over to him, touching his neck and realizing that it was warm with blood.

"Anthony?" I yelled out, unable to see him in front of me. With another flash of lightening, I was able to see his frozen, staring eyes, his pale flesh, his drenched hair. "Anthony!"

I started to scream, but it dissolved to sobbing. I lied on top of him, pressing my forehead against his, my mouth twisted open with my sobs of agony. His mouth was open, as if prepared to scream, and the terror was still clear on his face. I cupped my hands around his cheeks and kissed him, only tasting the dirt from the tree, and his coppery blood. I continued to sob as I ran my hands through his hair, wishing for him to just wake up. Or for myself to wake up, and have this whole thing be just one awful nightmare. But that would be too kind of the world.

I was soaking wet, bleeding, and freezing, with more rain hitting me from the massive hole in our roof. I was covered in dirt that went into the small, stinging cuts on my body. My home was destroyed by a rainstorm. But none of this mattered, because my best friend was dead. I had lost everything.

I stayed with him, lying there, until the storm faded away and the sun rose, nearly two hours later. I clutched his still form, unable to leave him, for another hour, until at last the electricity returned. By some miracle, the telephone lines hadn't been destroyed, and I was able to call the police in order to have his body taken away. But my miracle came too late.

I left that place, and moved to Seattle, where it rains so often that no one is in awe of a storm. I became a down-and-out writer, poor and alone in a shabby apartment, with my writing barely paying my bills. I don't want to die, like the people I left behind think I do. I fear that death is another giant storm, or worse, the darkness that covered me as I held my best friend's dead body in my arms.

_They say we lived in paradise. That's why I left. There's always a sacrifice for such awful beauty._

 


End file.
